The Best Fitness Equipment to Use to Train for a Marathon

Building up your cardiovascular performance while protecting your knees from impact … that’s just one great reason you might train on an elliptical or another piece of fitness equipment when you’re training for a marathon. Pounding the pavement might be the obvious choice when you want to prepare for a race, but actually there are many benefits to training with fitness equipment:

• Bad weather won’t slow you down or trip you up (thanks icy roads!).
• You can build endurance with a lower-impact activity.
• Get stronger and target specific muscle groups with strength training.
• Easily track your progress and get instant, digital feedback on your performance.

So, if you’re prepping for a marathon, here are 4 great pieces of fitness equipment that will elevate your marathon training.

Treadmill

Even if you love running outside, there’s a lot to be said for utilizing a treadmill. First, it’s easy to train for specific race conditions using a treadmill by setting the incline — an indispensable feature when your upcoming race takes place on different terrain than the outdoor paths you usually use. Plus, you can get used to running at a certain speed.             

Elliptical

With an elliptical trainer, you can get a runner’s high (and a fabulous cardiovascular workout) while babying your knees. This low-impact machine is a good addition to any runner’s routine, but it will be invaluable when you’re recovering after a tough workout, or even from an injury. When your joints need recovery time, you can still get in a challenging cardiovascular workout.

Stationary Bikes

Indoor bikes, like ellipticals, are low-impact and are ideal for conditioning your cardiovascular system while giving your joints a break. Plus, being seated takes pressure off your lower back and knees — a great benefit whether you’re rehabbing from an injury or giving your knees a rest after days of running. 

Rowers

As you can imagine, rowing is a great exercise to do if you injure your foot or Achilles. But we recommend rowing for every runner, injury or not. It’s a total body workout that will strengthen your legs, core, back, arms, and a bunch of muscles you didn’t even know you had. Plus, it will improve your posture, a perk that you’ll appreciate come race time. Good posture will help you avoid injury and improve running efficiency. In fact, according to RunnerClick.com, poor posture is the biggest cause of lower back pain in runners. Hit the rowing machine and you can avoid that fate. 

And with all of these machines, don’t overlook the benefit of convenience! The last thing you want to do is skip runs because you don’t have time to hit the trail. But with a piece of equipment from Maximum Comfort in your home, you can train even when your schedule is bursting at the seams. Get in a quick elliptical workout before dinner, go for a run on your treadmill while you watch your family’s favorite show, or read through some reports while you’re using your stationary bike. 

Whether you’ve got a home gym to deck out or space for just one piece of fitness equipment, we’ve got just what you need to help you train for marathons and stay in shape! Contact us and let us show you our high-quality selection of Precor and Bodyguard Equipment.